Sea of Mourners Pays Last Respects to Savney

Sea of Mourners Pays Last Respects to Savney

He Came..He Saw…He Conquered the Hearts of Many….but He left us all too soon. Nearly a thousand mourners who turned out to say their final farewells on Monday, 16 May 2016 at St Joseph the Worker Church-Vamanjoor to 22-Year oldSavney Monteiro, showed that how he was popular and how he was loved by many. Savney : S- Silent and Calm; A- Always Active and Committed; V- Victorious; N-Noble Minded and Gratifying Young Man ; E -Ever-Ready and Helpful; Y-Youthful and Cheerful. Those who have lived a good life do not fear death, but meet it calmly, and even long for it in the face of great suffering. But those who do not have a peaceful conscience, dread death as though life means nothing but physical torment. The challenge is to live our life so that we will be prepared for death when it comes.Savney, You’ll be missed by all. May Your Soul RIP.

Mangaluru: They came by four-wheelers, by two-wheelers, by auto-rickshaws, by foot..all in large numbers. The mourners were predominately of mixed generation, from old and young, teachers and students, entrepreneurs and professionals, priests and nuns, relatives and friends-who wanted to pay their last respect to the person whom they loved dearly. All these mourners will miss Savney so dearly because he had a special way that warmed the hearts of everyone who knew him and the qualities that made him the wonderful young man he was have left everyone with many beautiful memories. He did touch hearts of many through his politeness, graciousness, and friendliness. Along with his bereaved family, his dad and mom-Felix and Felciana, brother-Sydney, his relatives and friends had all gathered at the packed St Joseph the Worker Church-Vamanjoor to pay their last respect to their beloved Savney Monteiro.

Yes, Death is Not the End of Our Story! Of all the fears that plague the heart of man, none is greater than the fear of death. It is our greatest fear, the sum of all other fears. We are afraid to die. We are afraid of what happens when we die. Death is the fundamental human problem. Life is short and so uncertain. “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14b). Moses said to the Lord in Psalm 90:5-6, “You sweep men away in the sleep of death; they are like the new grass of the morning-though in the morning it springs up new, by evening it is dry and withered.” It is sometimes said that nothing is certain in life except death and taxes. But that is not wholly true. A clever man with a good lawyer can find a way around most if not all of his taxes, but no one escapes death. The statistics on death have not changed. One out of one person dies. Of all the great wonders, none is greater than man. Only for death can he find no cure.

There is “a time to be born and a time to die” (Ecclesiastes 3:2). Visit any cemetery and you can’t really tell much difference between the Christian and the non-Christian. Oh, you can intuit something by reading the markers, but the dead lie buried side by side, six feet underground. There they are, all grouped together, young and old, male and female, rich and poor, famous and infamous, churchgoers and nonbelievers. Does death win in the end? On this side of the grave it’s hard to tell. Or so it seems. Yes, it’s sad to note that Savney faced his death at a tender age of 22, he could have lived much longer than that. But God had his own wish, he didn’t want Savney to suffer the pain and agony that he was going through for the last 2 1/2 years where he was diagnosed with cancer, so he took him to a much better place, the Heaven.

Savney’s death will be an example for all of as he went through his cancer experience with courage, grace, and dignity, since he was diagnosed with Lymphoma (Lymphoma is cancer that begins in infection-fighting cells of the immune system, called lymphocytes) disease since 2013. He suffered during the first stages of chemotherapy, and also later when he had to go through nearly 30 chemotherapy maintenance program. Over the years, Savney was cognizant of the fact that the illness of cancer was fatal, and despite that, he continued to seek the milestones of a youth, enjoying all the social and fun things that a youth could have.

The funeral mass was celebrated by Fr Alphonse D’Lima, along with Fr Swebert D’Silva , Fr Melwyn D’Cunha, Fr Virus Concessao and Fr Cyprian Pinto. In his homily, Fr D’Lema said, “Death is not the end of the story for those who know the Lord. The Bible tells us what lies ahead for those who know Jesus. As we come to 2 Corinthians 5, we discover wonderful truths that give us hope as we face death with all its dark fears. Losing a young man at such a young age will be hard to bear for Savney’s family, his relatives and friends.This is a great loss. His death leaves a void in his family, at his work place, and in the whole community. Savney is presently with the Angels in the garden of Heaven, and looking upon us. We should be all proud of dear Savney for all that he was and many people of many religions are grateful for the person that he was, grateful for the person they knew. We bless and thank God for all that he was and entrust his soul to the Lord. May he Rest In Peace”.

Reema Pereira, one of Savney’s close friends at St Aloysius College, expressing her close encounters with Savney while in NCC said during a short eulogy at the end of mass, “From a NCC senior to a best friend Savney played every role so wonderfully. He was always smiling, the only time he never smiled while on parade ground. He carried that million dollar smile all the time. He motivated his fellow-mates and tried bringing out the best in them. As a junior, I respected and looked upon to him for he was a wonderful leader. He was also a jovial person filled with humour. As a friend I feel blessed to have meet someone like him and that’s what all his friends would say. He had this charm and friendly nature that we all loved, which made everyone when we first met him”

“Due to his medical treatment he would sometimes get little moody, but not for long. He didn’t give up even though his illness bothered him. Savney believed in giving his time whenever possible to people who needed it. These small acts of kindness made him so different from others. Building new connections with people is something he mastered at. He never complained about anything but just accepted life all its challenges. Yes, my friend Savney was a brave soldier who fought his battle with all his power till the very end. My hope-giver, My teacher, My inspiration and the person anyone can ever come across, you are going to be missed by us all. Here we are all your friends standing together saluting you as we bid you farewell ‘Our Handsome Captain’.

In conclusion, we truly believe Savney Monteiro is at peace and is united with his dear ones and friends in heavenly bliss. In conclusion, and would like to say, “We will all think of you in silence. We will often speak your name, now all we have are memories and your picture in a frame. Your memory is our keepsake with which we’ll never part. God bless you in his keeping, but we’ll always have you in our hearts and in our memories. You are sadly missed by all of us” .

I end this column with lyrics (slightly modified by me) from the song, “Candle In The Wind” sung by Elton John during the funeral service of Lady Princess Diana –

“Goodbye Mangaluru’s Brave Young Man
May you ever grow in our hearts
You were the grace that placed
Where lives were torn
You called out to our
And you whispered to those in pain
Now you belong to
And the stars spell out your

And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the
Never fading with the
When the rain set in
And your footsteps will always fall here
Along
Your candles burned out long
Your Popularity ever will

Loveliness we’ve
These empty days without your
This torch we’ll always
For our City’s dearest
Even though we
The truth brings us to
All our words cannot
The joy you’ve brought us through the years
Without your soul who missed the wings of your
More than you will ever know
Your candle burned out long before your legend ever will